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Before the World Ends Again
The world had ended three months ago.
Edward Elric was getting really tired of it.
“Tell me again,” he muttered, kicking aside a piece of broken concrete, “why every single apocalypse apparently requires endless amounts of walking.”
Behind him, Roy Mustang sighed.
R: “Would you prefer the things hunting us had functioning automobiles?”
Edward glanced over his shoulder.
E: “I’d prefer we had a functioning automobile.”
R: “We did.”
E: “You drove it into a ditch.”
R: “There was a collapsed bridge.”
E: “There was a perfectly visible collapsed bridge!”
R: “It was dark.”
E: “It was noon!”
Roy stared at him.
Edward stared back.
Somewhere in the distance, something screamed.
Neither of them moved.
R: “Perhaps we should continue this discussion indoors.”
E: “Coward.”
R: “Survivor.”
That, unfortunately, was difficult to argue with.
⸻
They found shelter inside what had once been a small pharmacy.
Most of the windows were shattered, and half the shelves had already been stripped bare by people who had either escaped Central or died trying.
Edward tried not to think about which.
Roy pushed an overturned shelf against the front entrance while Edward checked the back rooms.
Nothing.
No infected.
No raiders.
No bodies.
These days, that practically qualified as luxury accommodation.
E: “Clear.”
Roy nodded.
R: “Good.”
Then he leaned against the wall.
Edward immediately narrowed his eyes.
E: “What was that?”
R: “What was what?”
E: “That.”
R: “You’ll have to be more specific.”
E: “That thing you just did.”
R: “Standing?”
E: “Leaning.”
R: “Edward, I’m afraid the apocalypse has not yet outlawed leaning.”
Edward crossed the room in three quick strides.
Roy straightened.
Too quickly.
Edward’s suspicion became certainty.
E: “You’re hurt.”
R: “I’m fine.”
E: “You’re doing the voice.”
R: “What voice?”
E: “The stupid I’m-fine voice.”
R: “I don’t have an I’m-fine voice.”
E: “You absolutely have an I’m-fine voice!”
Roy opened his mouth.
Edward jabbed a finger into his chest.
Roy hissed.
Edward froze.
Slowly, his gaze dropped.
There was blood soaking through Roy’s shirt near his ribs.
For one horrible second, Edward couldn’t breathe.
E: “Roy.”
R: “It’s superficial.”
E: “You are bleeding.”
R: “Astute observation.”
E: “Sit down.”
R: “Edward—”
E: “Sit.”
Something in his voice must have worked, because Roy actually obeyed.
That frightened Edward almost more than the blood.
⸻
The wound wasn’t a bite.
Edward checked three times.
Then a fourth.
A piece of metal had sliced across Roy’s side when they’d escaped the collapsed station earlier.
It looked worse than it was.
Probably.
Edward hated the word probably.
R: “You’re frowning.”
E: “I’m considering letting you bleed out.”
R: “Charming.”
E: “Hold still.”
R: “You know, usually when someone removes my shirt, the atmosphere is somewhat more romantic.”
Edward’s hands stopped.
Roy’s expression remained completely innocent.
E: “I hate you.”
R: “So you’ve mentioned.”
Edward resumed cleaning the cut.
His fingers weren’t shaking.
They absolutely weren’t.
And if they were, it was because the pharmacy was freezing.
Not because he’d spent the last ten minutes imagining Roy turning pale and still in his arms.
Not because the idea made something inside his chest feel like it was being crushed.
Roy watched him quietly.
That was worse.
E: “Stop staring.”
R: “I’m not staring.”
E: “You’re literally staring.”
R: “I’m observing.”
E: “Observe something else.”
R: “There’s very little else worth observing.”
Edward looked up.
Roy smiled.
Not his usual smug smile.
Something smaller.
Softer.
Edward’s heart did something deeply inconvenient.
E: “You hit your head too?”
R: “No.”
E: “Then don’t say weird stuff.”
R: “What was weird about it?”
E: “Everything!”
R: “I merely said you’re worth looking at.”
E: “That’s weird!”
R: “Why?”
E: “Because we’re in the middle of the apocalypse!”
Roy raised an eyebrow.
R: “I wasn’t aware attraction had been suspended until civilization was restored.”
Edward nearly dropped the bandage.
E: “Attraction?”
There was a pause.
A very small one.
But Edward caught it.
Roy Mustang didn’t hesitate.
Not normally.
R: “You heard me.”
E: “Yeah, unfortunately.”
Edward finished wrapping the bandage and sat back on his heels.
Neither of them spoke.
Rain tapped against the remains of the windows.
Far away, thunder rolled across the dead city.
Edward stared at the floor.
E: “You could’ve died today.”
Roy’s expression changed.
R: “But I didn’t.”
E: “That’s not the point.”
R: “Then what is?”
Edward hated that question.
Because the answer had been following him for months.
Across ruined highways.
Through abandoned towns.
Past military checkpoints that no longer had militaries behind them.
Through nights spent sleeping back-to-back because neither of them trusted the darkness.
The answer had been there every time Roy handed Edward the last clean bottle of water while pretending he wasn’t thirsty.
Every time Edward woke from a nightmare and found Roy already watching the door.
Every stupid argument.
Every almost-smile.
Every time Edward thought he’d lost him.
E: “The point is…”
He stopped.
Roy waited.
Edward clenched his fists.
E: “The point is I don’t know what I’d do if you did.”
Roy went very still.
R: “Edward.”
E: “Don’t.”
R: “Don’t what?”
E: “Say something smart.”
R: “I wasn’t going to.”
E: “That’s even worse.”
Roy laughed quietly.
Edward hated how much he’d missed that sound.
R: “Come here.”
E: “What?”
R: “Come here.”
E: “You’re injured.”
R: “I’m aware.”
E: “And bossy.”
R: “Also aware.”
Edward should’ve argued.
He usually enjoyed arguing with Roy.
Instead, he moved closer.
Roy reached up slowly, giving him plenty of time to pull away.
His fingers brushed a strand of blond hair from Edward’s face.
Edward forgot every clever insult he’d ever learned.
R: “For what it’s worth…”
E: “Dangerous opening.”
R: “I don’t know what I’d do without you either.”
Edward swallowed.
E: “Probably enjoy the silence.”
R: “Never.”
There it was again.
That look.
As though the entire ruined world had disappeared.
As though the broken buildings and empty streets and distant monsters didn’t exist.
As though Edward was the only thing Roy could see.
E: “You’re staring again.”
R: “Yes.”
E: “Stop.”
R: “No.”
Edward’s face burned.
E: “Bastard.”
R: “Brat.”
E: “Don’t call me—”
Roy kissed him.
Edward’s brain stopped.
Completely.
There was no explosion.
No dramatic lightning strike.
No monsters crashing through the walls.
Just Roy’s hand against his cheek.
Warm.
Careful.
And Roy’s mouth against his.
Soft enough that Edward could have pulled away.
He didn’t.
Instead, Edward grabbed the front of Roy’s shirt and kissed him back.
Roy made a quiet surprised sound.
Edward decided immediately that he wanted to hear it again.
When they finally separated, they stayed close.
Foreheads touching.
Breathing the same cold air.
R: “Well.”
E: “Don’t.”
R: “I was only going to say—”
E: “Don’t ruin it.”
Roy smiled.
R: “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Edward looked at him suspiciously.
E: “You’re going to be unbearable about this.”
R: “Almost certainly.”
E: “I regret everything.”
R: “You kissed me back.”
E: “Survival instinct.”
R: “Naturally.”
E: “Keeping morale up.”
R: “Very patriotic.”
Edward shoved him lightly.
Roy winced.
Edward immediately stopped.
E: “Shit. Sorry.”
Roy caught his wrist before he could move away.
R: “Edward.”
E: “What?”
R: “I’m okay.”
This time, the words didn’t sound like a lie.
Edward looked down at Roy’s hand around his wrist.
Then back at his face.
Outside, the world remained ruined.
Tomorrow they’d have to keep moving.
They’d need food.
Water.
A safer route north.
There would be more things trying to kill them.
More nights spent wondering if they’d see morning.
None of that had changed.
And yet—
Edward leaned forward and kissed Roy again.
Shorter this time.
Deliberate.
When he pulled away, Roy looked genuinely stunned.
Edward grinned.
E: “Morale.”
Roy’s smile was slow and warm.
R: “Of course.”
Edward settled beside him against the wall, close enough that their shoulders touched.
Roy pulled the old emergency blanket around both of them.
E: “If you tell anyone about this, I’ll kill you.”
R: “Edward.”
E: “What?”
R: “There’s hardly anyone left to tell.”
Edward stared at him.
Roy stared back.
E: “You’re an asshole.”
R: “And yet.”
Edward rested his head against Roy’s shoulder.
After a moment, Roy rested his cheek against Edward’s hair.
Outside, thunder rolled over the remains of Central.
For once, Edward didn’t care.
The world had already ended.
They were still here.
For tonight, that was enough.